THE 2016 NOMINEES: Best Supporting Actor

There’s just one week left until the Oscars. Have you had trouble finding time to catch up on all the nominated movies? Still want to be able to join in the Oscar conversations at work? Look no further than this six-part guide to the major categories. Today, I look at the nominees for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.

CHRISTIAN BALE

The Movie:The Big ShortThe Role: Michael Burry, an eccentric hedge fund manager whose inhuman attention to details and numbers led him to predict the sub-prime mortgage crisis three years before it happenedPrior Oscar Nominations: 2 — Best Supporting Actor (The Fighter), Best Actor (American Hustle)Prior Oscar Wins: 1 — Best Supporting Actor (The Fighter)Lead-Up Awards for Bale: Critic’s Choice Award (W), Golden Globe Award (N), SAG Award (N), British Academy Film Award (N)Chances of Winning: Good, but not great

TOM HARDY

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The Movie:The RevenantThe Role: John Fitzgerald, a fur trapper who kills fellow trapper Hugh Glass’s son and leaves Glass for dead, only to find himself being hunted downPrior Oscar Nominations: 0Prior Oscar Wins: 0Lead-Up Awards for Hardy: Critic’s Choice Award (N)Chances of Winning: It depends on whether The Revenant sweeps its categories; if it turns into a big night for the film, Hardy may get a win from the snowball effect

MARK RUFFALO

The Movie:SpotlightThe Role: Michael Rezendes, an investigative journalist for the Boston Globe whose passion and persistence helped expose the Catholic Church sexual abuse cover-up in 2002Prior Oscar Nominations: 2 — Best Supporting Actor (The Kids are All Right), Best Supporting Actor (Foxcatcher)Prior Oscar Wins: 0Lead-Up Awards for Ruffalo: British Academy Film Award (N), Critic’s Choice Award (N)Chances of Winning: In much the same way Hardy could grab it if The Revenant steamrolls, expect a win for Ruffalo if Spotlight starts taking all its categories

MARK RYLANCE

The Movie:Bridge of SpiesThe Role: Rudolf Abel, a Russian spy captured and tried in 1957, but kept alive in the possible case of a prisoner exchangePrior Oscar Nominations: 0Prior Oscar Wins: 0Lead-Up Awards for Rylance: British Academy Film Award (W), Golden Globe Award (N), SAG Award (N), Critic’s Choice Award (N)Chances of Winning: Not that likely; Rylance gave a great performance, but the nomination will probably be considered the award

SYLVESTER STALLONE

The Movie:CreedThe Role: Rocky Balboa (the role Stallone originated six movies and 39 years earlier), now running a modest Italian restaurant, who gets coaxed back into the world of boxing through training the son of his deceased frenemy Apollo CreedPrior Oscar Nominations: 2 — Best Actor (Rocky), Best Original Screenplay (Rocky)Prior Oscar Wins: 0Lead-Up Awards for Stallone: Golden Globe Award (W), Critic’s Choice Award (W), National Board of Review Award (W)Chances of Winning: Better than good; at this point, Stallone is the nostalgia-appeasing frontrunner